1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a plug arrangement for optical waveguides in accordance with the preamble of the main claim.
2. Description of the Background Art
Plug arrangements of this type are known (U.S. Pat. No. 5,166,997). The plastic fibers of the optical waveguide cladding that are brought out of the cable end and laid back on the external surface of the cable fixing sleeve are in this case clamped only between the cable fixing sleeve and the further sleeve. Although it is already known, in a similar plug arrangement, to bond the cable fixing sleeve to the outside of the cable (JP-A-61-267007), the plastic fibers of the cladding are in this case also only clamped between the cable fixing sleeve and the plug casing. This clamp fixing of the plastic fibers of the optical waveguide cladding does not ensure that the sensitive glass fibers, of the optical waveguides inside the plug casing, are held in a completely tension-free manner without tensile or compressive loading of the cable end against the plug pins at the insertion end of the plug. There is the danger that the clamp fixing becomes detached or is not correctly fitted and the sensitive glass fibers are then damaged.
It is therefore the object of the invention to disclose a plug arrangement for optical waveguides in which the sensitive optical waveguides are supported in a tensionfree manner in the plug casing, by a simple and inexpensively produced arrangement.
In accordance with the invention, prior to the fitting of the cable into the cable housing, a sleeve unit comprising two mating sleeves is bonded onto the cable end, the ends of the aramid fibers enclosing the optical waveguides in the cable being concomitantly bonded between these two individual sleeves. Even before assembly, this provides a clean cable end in which the cladding fibers of the cable are uniformly bonded into the sleeve unit and a uniform tension relief is already ensured thereby. As a result of the two interacting sleeve parts, the bonding can take place under pressure so that a firm joint of the sleeve parts to one another and to the aramid fibers and also to the cable end is achieved. It has proved particularly advantageous to provide a twist-proof tooth structure between the solder window sleeve held in a twist-proof manner on the contact carrier and the sleeve unit pushed onto the cable end and to design said tooth structure in such a way that it is not axial movement that is necessary for its meshing but only lateral radial movement.
Further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.